Padang Panjang is a cool, rain-washed town in the highlands of West Sumatra, in the land of the Minangkabau, at the foot of two volcanoes, Marapi and Singgalang, each rising to nearly three thousand metres. The railway station here is a relic of the Dutch colonial network built in the 1890s to carry coal from the mines of Sawahlunto to the port of Padang. The line had a difficult climb to make from the coast, and part of it used a rack system, with a toothed rail between the running rails and special locomotives gripping it to haul trains up the steep slope.
That story is part of the UNESCO listing of the Ombilin coal mining heritage, 2019, which includes the mines, the railway and the port. The station building has the squared, shuttered look of Dutch tropical architecture, and old locomotives and the memory of steam are important to the local identity. Padang Panjang is also known as a centre of Islamic education, and its students and schools give the town a lively, youthful character.
The Minangkabau are famous for two things. They have a matrilineal society, in which property and clan names pass through the mother, though religion and politics are largely men's affairs. And their food, above all rendang, a slow-cooked beef dish in coconut milk and spices, is one of the great dishes of Southeast Asia. Padang Panjang has a famous local satay, with a thick yellow sauce, usually served with rice cake, and it is best eaten from a roadside stall in the cool of the evening.
For a rider, the road between Padang on the coast and Bukittinggi in the hills is a great one. It climbs through the Anai valley, past waterfalls beside the road, with bends, steep banks, hairpins, and a damp coolness that comes as a relief after the heat of the coast. Traffic is heavy with lorries, buses and motorbikes, and the surface is often damaged by rain, so take care, especially in the wet. The mornings are best, since clouds and rain gather in the afternoon, and the fog on the upper section can be thick.
Bukittinggi, about seventeen kilometres away, is the main town of the highlands, with fuel, cafes and plenty of places to stay, and Padang Panjang itself has stations and shops. Keep an eye on the volcano: Marapi is active and sometimes closed to climbers because of eruptions.